Pursued Road and Rail Transport Projects

• 
  Completed the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Expansion Project (Phase I) in February 2005, effectively cutting by half the travel time along the whole 84-kilometer stretch to only a one-hour drive. The reduced travel time eased up traffic and ensured the efficient movement of goods, people and service to and from Central and Northern Luzon to Metro Manila.
  

• 
  Pursued the construction of the Southern Luzon Expressway Extension Project, which consists of the following segments:
  

• 
  Toll Road I (TR1), involving the full rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing one-km six-lane Alabang Viaduct in Muntinlupa City, is targeted to commence in August 2006.
  

• 
  Toll Road 2 (TR 2) involves the full rehabilitation, upgrading and widening from four to six lanes (28.6 kms.) of the Alabang-Calamba section from 2007 to 2008 at a cost of P2.7 billion.
  

• 
  Toll Road 3 (TR 3) involves the construction of a two-lane 7.8-km new toll road extension connecting South Luzon tollway in Calamba to Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) in Sto Tomas, Batangas. The project is expected to be finished by February 2006.
  

• 
  Commenced construction works for the P1.7 billion STAR Extension from Lipa City to Batangas City under the build-operate-transfer scheme on 25 April 2005 which will be completed in 12 months. The interchanges, overpasses and related toll facilities will be finished in 24 months. Right of way is 81.29% accomplished and targeted for completion by March 2006.
  

• 
  Undertook the Manila-Cavite Expressway Extension Project to link the existing R-1 Expressway to Noveleta, Cavite and C-5. Road Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition is 70% accomplished and project construction will start in March 2006 to be completed within two years.
  

• 
  Commenced construction in June 2005 of the following packages of the MacArthur Highway (Manila North Road) from Meycauayan to Tarlac City to decongest the North Luzon corridor and accommodate traffic diverted from the North Luzon Expressway. The project will be completed in March 2006.
  

• 
  Package I – Meycauayan-Marilao-Bocaue Section, Bulacan
  
• 
  Package II – Balagtas-Guiguinto Section, Bulacan
  
• 
  Package III – Malolos-Calumpit Section, Bulacan
  
• 
  Package IV – Pampanga Section, including Mabalacat
  

The remaining Package V – Tarlac Section will commence next year.

• 
  Pursued the construction of the Plaridel Bypass from NLEX towards the east to address the traffic and accessibility problems of Guiguinto and other towns affected by the closure of temporary exits at the NLEX. Detailed engineering has been completed and ROW acquisition is ongoing with LGU assistance. As of end-October 2005, the project is 59.25% accomplished.
  

• 
  Initiated the construction of Marikina Bridge and Access Road Project, a new interchange and river bridge connecting Marcos Highway to C-5 by-pass. The project is 27% completed as of June 2005 and will be finished by January 2007.
  

• 
  Completed and inaugurated in February 2005 the P678.83-million C-5/Boni Serrano Avenue/Katipunan Avenue Interchange Project to decongest traffic in Quezon City.
  

• 
  Implemented the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP), which has a total cost of P27.405 billion, to provide a direct link among industrial, economic and tourism zones in the Central Luzon region, specifically Clark Special Economic Zone, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac and the Bataan Technology Park.
  

• 
  BCDA inked a P1.5 billion loan with the Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines and Allied Banking Corp. early August 2005 to complete the P6.2 billion counterpart funding requirement for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will finance the remaining P21 billion construction cost.
  

• 
  Civil works on the SCTEP commenced on 21 April 2005. Contract Package 1 is expected to be completed by 16 November 2007, while Contract Package 2 is targeted to be completed by 18 August 2007.
  

• 
  Fast-tracked clearing of areas for the construction of the Northrail Project, a US$503 million commuter system that will run from Caloocan to Malolos (Phase 1, Section 1) and from Malolos to Clark (Section 2).
  

• 
  The DOF and China Eximbank signed an MOU on 27 April 2005 for the utilization of the US$500 million loan. Preliminary survey, site reconnaissance and subsoil investigation up to the Bulacan segment of the project by engineers of China National Machinery and Equipment Corporation Group are underway.
  

• 
  PNR right-of-way has been cleared and affected informal settlers were relocated:
  

• 
  The Metro Manila alignment (Caloocan North-Malabon-Valenzuela segments) of 8,127 informal settler families has been cleared. A total of 798 families were relocated to Towerville, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; 252 families to Canumay, Valenzuela City; and 2,351 families to Barangay Bignay, Valenzuela City. A P50,000 housing financial assistance was granted to each of the availing 3,280 families to be used as down payment to purchase properties either in Malabon or Bulacan.
  

• 
  In the Bulacan section, 11,300 families were relocated to six relocation sites in the towns of Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, and Guiguinto and Malolos City. 60 squatting commercial establishments have been demolished within the right-of-way in Meycauayan and Bocaue.
  

• 
  A beneficiary-led in-town relocation policy for affected families along the Bulacan alignment was adopted. Organization of Local Inter-Agency Committees or LIACs, census tagging and verification are completed while beneficiary selection and consultation activities are ongoing. A total of 296 affected informal settler families in Balagtas, Bulacan and 66 in Meycauayan were relocated to in-town resettlement sites.
  

• 
  Social preparation activities are ongoing in the Pampanga alignment, which will affect 19,500 informal settler families.
  

• 
  Pursued the US$50 million Northrail-Southrail Interconnectivity Project, which involves the rehabilitation of the existing 34-km. PNR Commuter Service Line from Caloocan to Alabang (Phase 1).
  

• 
  The Loan agreement between PNR and Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) was signed on 7 May 2004 and the Notice of Loan Effectivity from KEXIM was secured on 18 March 2005. KEXIM has completed on 22 September 2005 their evaluation of the ranking of Consultants for Design and Construction Supervision. Civil works for the project shall commence in March 2006.
  

• 
  The implementation of the MRT 3, Phase II Project was pushed to close the MRT 3-LRT Line 1 loop to facilitate commuter needs from Monumento to EDSA and vice-versa, and at the same time connect MRT 3 to Northrail. When completed, EDSA MRT 3 (Phases I and II) will form the railway transport backbone, complementing the operation of radial lines LRT 1, MRT 2, MRT 7 and Northrail. The project, which will be implemented through the build-operate-transfer scheme, is targeted to commence in 2007.
  

• 
  The New Bacolod (Silay) Airport Development Project involves the construction of a new airport at Silay City in Negros Occidental at a cost of P4.437 billion. A total of 186.83 hectares out of the total area of 187.02 hectares have been acquired and paid, while the procurement of crash fire and rescue, security and maintenance equipment has been completed. Civil works on the new airport commenced in August 2004. The project is expected to be completed by January 2007.
  

• 
  The project site (188 has.) for the Iloilo Airport Development Project has been fully acquired. Civil works for the project, which costs P6.19 billion, started in April 2004 and is expected to be completed by October 2006.
  

• 
  The capability of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) to operate and handle aircraft movement was improved with the P513.7-million terminal radar approach control (Tracon) project as part of a strategy to improve the country’s competitiveness in the international aviation market. The project is expected to be completed by June 2006. The radar is currently being tested for factory acceptance before being shipped to the country. To accommodate increasing passenger activity within DMIA, plans are being finalized by the CDC, DMIA and MIAA for the proposed expansion/modernization of the airport.
  

• 
  The P5.217-billion Subic Bay Port Development Project involves the construction of a new container terminal at Cubi Point, the rehabilitation of selected existing wharves and the procurement of necessary facilities, to be implemented between 2004 and 2015. Civil works on the Subic Bay Port Development Project started on 3 May 2005. As of end October 2005, actual progress is at 34.72%.
  

• 
  The development of the Philippine CyberServices Corridor which shall provide a variety of cyberservices at par with global standards was pursued. The Corridor, which is connected by a US$10 billion high bandwidth fiber backbone and digital network, shall serve as a “one destination” for investors, stretching 600 miles from Baguio to Zamboanga. Certain areas have been declared as ICT hubs with high-speed networks and connectivity: (Pasig-Ortigas, Makati, UP-Ateneo-Eastwood, Alabang-Paranaque, Subic-Clark, Cebu-Asia Town Park, University Belt, Davao). Additional 9 areas have been identified as potential ICT hubs: Leyte, Camarines Sur, Pangasinan, Iloilo City, Baguio City, Davao, Zamboanga, General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro.
  

• 
  Community Access Points were established around the country, allowing remote community access to online services through Community e-Centers (CeCs), and enhancing local governance through the eLGU Development Project. As of September 2005, sixty six (66) CeCs and twenty six (26) eLGUs have been established nationwide.
  

• 
  The e-Real Property Tax System was installed in 132 LGUs with 403 local government officials trained to run the system. Technical assistance was provided to 332 LGUs on information systems planning and 507 LGUs on change management.
  

• 
  The implementation of the eGovernment Portal was pursued to provide a one-stop electronic gateway for government services and information and harmonized various agency numbering systems which will facilitate database linkages (i.e. NSO, SSS, GSIS, BIR, PhilHealth, LTO).
  

• 
  An e-Government fund of P4 billion was established for the seamless processing of business registration, OFW processing, and the development of a single government portal. Twenty-four projects have been approved/endorsed for funding amounting to some P2.98 billion aimed to: 1) enhance service delivery of government services; 2) promote transparency and accountability in government operations; and 3) facilitate the streamlining and standardization of inter-agency processes and the sharing of information within and among national government agencies.
  

• 
  A Technology Support Program for e-Governance (SUPRE-GOV) was designed to provide technology support to jumpstart e-governance in the country by establishing linkages between the academe, the private sector, and government units.
  

- National Computer Center’s (NCC) monitoring study as of 30 June 2005 showed that 90% of 375 NGAs and 44% of 111 state universities and colleges have websites. As of March 2005, NCC survey showed that 100% of 79 provinces, 97.4% of 115 cities and 98.9% of 1,500 municipalities have websites.

• 
  ICT use was increased by establishing high speed connectivity through the “Philippine Research, Education, and Government Information Network” (PREGINET), a nationwide broadband network interconnecting government, the academe, and the private sector and enabling them to undertake collaborative research and development.
  

• 
  The Philippines is being promoted as a center for ICT development.
  

• 
  Internet connectivity cost was reduced to 1/3 of what it used to be – from $12,000 in 2002 for an E-1 connection to US$2,000 - $3,000 in January 2005 - fueling growth of the IT sector. Costs of local internet connections were reduced from P24 per hour in 2000 to P5 per hour today.
  

• 
  Policies were set for systematic and accelerated ICT advancement on:
  

- Retail pricing, to address the artificial oversupply of local telephone lines (3.6 million) by allowing local exchange carriers to design price packages which may include local measured service pricing to suit particular market segment.

- Pursuant to RA 7925 (Public Telecommunications Act of the Philippines), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued MC 05-08-2005 on 23 August 2005 which promulgated the guidelines on Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) where voice communication is provided using Internet Protocol technology instead of traditional circuit switched technology, and classified VOIP as a Value Added Service (VAS). The promulgation of the VOIP guidelines is expected to reduce telecom charges from 40 cents per minute of international call to 10 cents.

- The NTC also issued, through MC No. 07-08-2005, the rules and regulations on the allocation and assignment of Third Generation Mobile Telecommunications system (3G) radio frequency bands. 3G systems feature higher data transmission speeds and advanced services, such as application downloading, position location, streaming of audio and video content such as sports replays, news headlines, music videos and movie trailers; video conferencing; enterprise connectivity; and Internet connectivity, among others.


Social Justice and Basic Needs
The Arroyo Administration intensified its efforts to alleviate poverty through adequate and responsive basic services delivery. The President’s pro-poor agenda is clearly manifested in the inclusion of programs in her 10-Point program of governance such as the generation of 6 to 10 million jobs, increasing access to quality education, and provision of electricity and water to all barangays.
The government also prioritized its interventions on the immediate needs of the poor, particularly in the areas of housing, health and nutrition, labor relations and workers’ welfare. The government further strengthened the capacity of the poor to engage in productive enterprises through the provision of microfinance and business development services resulting in job generation.
LOWERED POVERTY INCIDENCE
Poverty among Filipino families dropped by almost three percentage points from the 27.5% revised estimate for 2000 down to 24.7% in 2003 as earnings rose across all income levels except among the top 10 percent of families, and across all regions except in Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and Northern Mindanao.
The latest official poverty data indicate that in 2003, about 3.97 million families or less than a quarter of the country’s total families were living below the poverty line. These figures represent a decrease from the 4.138 million families trying to make both ends meet in 2000.

GENERATED JOBS AND LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES

The government aims to generate six to 10 million jobs in the next six years by accelerating growth and job creation in the following key components:

• 
  Agribusiness – Two million hectares of idle and unutilized lands, new and existing agricultural areas, and offshore and inland bodies of water are targeted for agribusiness development to generate at least two million jobs.
  

• 
  Micro, small and medium enterprises – Loans, technology and marketing support shall be provided to three million microfinance clients to generate three million jobs, and loans to SMEs shall be tripled from P24 billion in 2004 to P72 billion in 2010.
  

• 
  Tourism – Tourism promotion shall be intensified in focused areas and air liberalization shall be pursued to increase tourist arrivals that would create three million new jobs.
  

• 
  Information and communication technology – By promoting ICT and improving the environment for ICT-enabled businesses, one million new workers are expected to be employed in the ICT sector from 2005-2010.
  

• 
  Housing program – Housing and its related enterprises are expected to generate one million new jobs by 2010 through the Strong Republic Housing Program and measures to facilitate private sector financing.
  

• 
  Infrastructure projects – Public construction and maintenance are expected to generate employment in local communities.
  

• 
  Economic zones – Enterprises in the economic zones shall provide employment opportunities.
  

• 
  Apprenticeship program – Absorption of apprentices into the regular workforce shall be facilitated by giving opportunities for beginners to earn while on training.
  

• 
  Generated at least 234,910 new jobs from January to September 2005 by developing 138,862 hectares of new agricultural lands and linking them with corresponding markets in all regions. Developed areas are either planted to crops, grown with forage for pasture, stocked with animals, seeded with fingerlings or established seaweeds farms. In general, it is assumed that one hectare of land developed generates one job but in some commodities, one hectare may be equivalent to as high as 27 jobs.
  

• 
  Strengthened the capacity of the poor to engage in productive enterprises through microfinance and business development services, resulting in job generation. Under this program, the livelihood/employment needs of the microfinance clients are addressed through employment facilitation/generation, microfinance/capital assistance, technical/skills training, production technology development, and marketing/market linkages.
  

• 
  Created 509,802 jobs from January to September 2005 through loan releases of P8.33 billion in micro-finance, based on the assumption that any loan, regardless of amount, creates one job.
  

• 
  Supported 293,843 jobs by releasing P23.5 billion loans to SMEs from January to October 2005 on the assumption that an average loan size of P80,000 supports 1 job.
  

• 
  Increased inbound tourists through aggressive tourist promotions, particularly in China, which translated into new jobs. Jobs generated in tourism are computed based on the results of the study conducted by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. for the Department of Tourism that 1.22 jobs are created for every tourist arriving in the country. From January to October 2005, a total of 308,294 new jobs were created during the period.
  

• 
  Ushered ICT-related job opportunities by promoting ICT and improving the environment for ICT-enabled businesses. A total of 41,000 jobs were generated from January to May 2005 from ICT-related services, such as business process outsourcing (e.g. customer care, accounting, data base management), medical transcription, animation and software development.
  

• 
  Shifted government policy on mining from tolerance to promotion which created 3,580 jobs for the period January to September 2005. Executive Order No. 270 or the National Policy Agenda on Revitalizing Mining in the Philippines issued on 16 January 2004 promotes responsible mining while adhering to the principle of sustained development, i.e., economic growth, environmental protection and social equity.
  

• 
  Identified 24 large-scale new and expansion mineral development projects nationwide with potential to generate US$6.37 billion in foreign direct investments and 63,800 employments. As of October 2005, $349 million have been invested and actual employment totaled 7,098.
  

• 
  Accelerated housing unit construction and site development resulting in 52,805 units constructed and 404,080 jobs created from January to September 2005. Computation of jobs generated from housing is based on the assumption that a completed house construction requires 8.3 persons working for three weeks, service lot area or development of sites for resettlement requires 5 persons per lot, and a small housing unit for the affected families of the North Rail Project requires 3.3 persons.
  

• 
  Identified housing programs which provide opportunities for employment such as Core Housing (National Housing Authority), End-user Financing (Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG), Institutional/Developmental Financing (Pag-IBIG), Bahay Ko Program (Government Service Insurance System), Retail and Developmental Guaranty (Home Guaranty Corporation), and SSS Housing Loan Program (Social Security System).
  

• 
  Hired about 74,900 people in public construction and maintenance from January to November 2005. These include community-based workers hired in the construction of government projects by contractors pursuant to RA 6685, in “Kalsada Natin, Alagaan Natin” (KNAN) and Project OYSTER (Out-of-School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery), and in patronizing products and services of persons with disability.
  

• 
  RA 6685 requires all private contractors and sub-contractors of national and local public works projects to hire at least 50% of the unskilled and 30% of the skilled labor requirements from the unemployed bona fide and actual residents of the locality where the projects are to be undertaken.
  

• 
  KNAN is a community-level road system maintenance program funded from the maintenance account of the Motor Vehicle Users Charge funds. One to four workers are tasked to maintain a one- kilometer stretch and paid on a daily basis. Activities include planting of trees and ornamental plants, drainage cleaning, clearing of sidewalks and removal of obstructions within the road right-of-way. Project OYSTER was launched by the Philippine National Police on 3 July 2002 as a crime prevention strategy and support mechanism for economic development for out-of-work and out-of-school youth.
  

• 
  Generated a total of 146,533 new jobs in the economic zones from January to October 2005: 102,484 jobs in Philippine Economic Zone Authority areas, 34,373 jobs in Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority area and 9,676 jobs in Clark Special Economic Zone. Total jobs include direct and indirect employment. PEZA employment was generated by enterprises providing inputs and services to economic zone export-producers and service exporters (e.g. subcontractors, brokers, cargo handlers/forwarders, canteen/restaurants, banks, utilities, janitorial and maintenance services).
  

• 
  Under the Kasanayan at Hanapbuhay (KASH) Apprenticeship Program, 79,694 apprentices were trained from January to November 2005 in occupations officially approved for apprenticeship by TESDA (e.g., electric repairman, furniture maker, mechanic) There are 1,048 registered programs and 766 registered companies from January to October 2005. The said Program was re-launched in September 2004 to provide opportunities for beginners to earn while on training and to facilitate the absorption of apprentices into the regular workforce.
  

• 
  From July 2004 to May 2005, 8,800 classrooms were built or 47% higher than the annual target of 6,000 and from June 2005 to October 2005, 4,516 classrooms or 75% of the annual target were constructed. This brings the total of classrooms built from July 2004 to October 2005 to 13,316 under the various school building programs, namely: Regular School Building Program of DepEd and DPWH, Foreign-assisted School Building Projects (Third Elementary Education Project or TEEP), Secondary Education Development Improvement Project, and Social Expenditure Management Project II), Adopt-a-School Program), Classroom Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad (CGMA) Program and other school building programs funded by DTI-NDC, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., and from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of legislators.
  

• 
  Under the GASTPE program, 356,951 students were granted tuition subsidies for SY 2004-2005, while 359,283 students benefited from the program for SY 2005-2006.
  

• 
  The Student’s Assistance Fund for Education for a Strong Republic (SAFE-4 SR) or Enhanced Student Financial Assistance Program (E-STUFAP) provides loans to needy 3^rd, 4^th and graduating college students to enable them to finish their college education. Since June 2004, more than P100 million financial assistance was given to 17,177 student-borrowers.
  

• 
  The Iskolar Para sa Mahihirap na Pamilya (IMP) Program entitles a qualified indigent family to send one child to college or technical-vocational course through a grant of P20,000 for a two-year vocational course or P40,000 for a four-year college course. The President has awarded 1,979 Certificates of Educational Assistance (CEA) to families in Regions I, III, IV-A, VI, X and XI which can be availed of at any time by beneficiaries who are qualified to enroll in either TESDA-administered institutions or state colleges and universities nationwide. Of this number, 135 grantees availed of the scholarship in SY 2004-2005, and for SY 2005-2006, 74 availed of the scholarship in State Colleges and Universities (SUC) and 43 in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
  

• 
  At present, about 3,512 (73%) public secondary schools have computer and computer labs. Of this number, 1,057 (30%) have internet access and 513 (15%) schools have networked PCs. All the 4,830 public secondary schools are targeted to have computers with internet connectivity by 2010.
  

• 
  DepEd has finalized the ECCD curriculum standards for 5-year olds and oriented pre-school supervisors on the administration of the School Readiness Assessment Tool and the ECCD standards for 5-year olds. It also administered the pre-school Readiness Assessment Tool to determine incoming Grade 1 pupils’ readiness for formal education.
  

• 
  DSWD has accredited 26,224 out of 44,122 day care centers (59%) together with 26,208 out of 43,940 day care workers (60%).
  

• 
  From January 2004 to November 2005, DepEd has procured and delivered a total of 14.6 million textbooks and 307,000 teacher’s manuals for all public schools for the priority subjects, benefiting 17 million students. This procurement, coupled with the previous purchases of textbooks, has resulted in a textbook-pupil ratio of 1:1 to 1:1.42, except for High School English III and IV which have a ratio of 1:2.
  

• 
  From the 1:50 to 1:60 ratio in previous administrations, teacher-pupil ratio in the elementary level is now 1:36. In the secondary level, the teacher-pupil ratio is 1:41 for SY 2004-2005.
  

• 
  To address the annual increase in students, 7,574 new teacher positions were created for SY 2004-2005 and another 6,475 new teacher positions for SY 2005-2006.
  

• 
  TESDA and CHED have identified Agriculture, Health, Tourism, Engineering, Education, Maritime and Information Technology as the sectors for pilot implementation of the ladderization interface program. Likewise, they have chosen 21 pilot institutions, including Philippine Women’s University, University of Cebu, Don Bosco Technical College and Mindanao Polytechnic State College, that will participate in the initial implementation. The new ladderized curricula for the 7 sectors to be adopted by 21 pilot institutions are being finalized.
  

• 
  Provided electricity to 1,333 barangays from January 2004 to October 2005 under the Expanded Rural Electrification Program, bringing the total number of energized barangays to 39,081 out of 41,945 barangays and attaining 93.17% barangay-level electrification.
  

• 
  In Luzon, 19,841 out of 20,476 barangays or 96.90% have been energized.
  

• 
  In the Visayas, 10,741 out of 11,443 barangays or 93.87% have been energized.
  

• 
  In Mindanao, 8,499 out of 10,026 barangays or 84.77% have been energized.
  

• 
  Implemented the President’s Priority Program on Water (P³W) which targets to provide potable water to 210 waterless communities within the National Capital Region not yet adequately served by MWSS concessionaires and 432 waterless municipalities outside Metro Manila with less than 50% of households having access to potable water based on the 2000 Census on Population and Housing.
  

• 
  Provided water services to 26 out of the 210 waterless areas in Metro Manila through MWSS concessionaires benefiting 18,729 households. In addition, Maynilad Water Services provided water for a total of 2,981 households in 27 communities outside the 210 identified waterless areas during Phase I & II of the "Patubig ni PGMA" program.
  

• 
  Implemented the Patubig ni PGMA project which provided potable water through mobile tankers to a high of 956,541 waterless households in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan and Laguna provinces in May 2004. The number of waterless households being served by mobile tankers has decreased to 321,681 households in July 2005 due to the provision of more permanent services by MWSS concessionaires in the areas previously serviced under the Patubig Project. About 75 static water tanks which provided potable water to 121,438 households as of July 2005 were also installed under the Patubig Project.
  

• 
  Under Municipal Development Fund Office (USPL 416), construction of Level II water systems in 2 municipalities in Lanao del Norte and the final review of feasibility study for 10 municipalities in Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental were completed.
  

• 
  Distributed 144,208 hectares of private and public land from January to September 2005. Since January 2001 to September 2005, a total of 914,477 hectares of public and private land has been distributed.
  

• 
  Issued/Approved 38 Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs) from July 2002 to December 2005, covering 841,148.08 hectares with an additional 21 ancestral domain (AD) areas surveyed covering an area of 543,131.94 hectares, 15 AD areas being surveyed with an area of 223,273.00 hectares and 61 ancestral domains with on-going social preparation covering an area of 1, 290,615.33 hectares. Some 50 Certificate of Ancestral Land Titles (CALTs) were also issued covering an area of 3,832.26 hectares.
  

• 
  Increased resources for CARP as a result of the Supreme Court’s final decision on 17 November 2003 forfeiting in favor of the Philippine government the $658 million or P35.04 billion Marcos deposits in Swiss banks. Of this amount, P27.04 billion was allocated for CARP, while the remaining P8 billion was earmarked for human rights victims. A total of P22.4 billion was released or programmed for CARP in 2004-2005.
  

• 
  Provided support services for Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) through infrastructure and irrigation projects and micro credit.
  

• 
  Extended P772.12 million loans from January 2001 to March 2005 to cover financial requirements of 449 micro-livelihood and capability building projects benefiting 59,383 agrarian reform beneficiaries. These include credit programs on agro-industrial development, non-rice livelihood projects, agricultural production, rubber rehabilitation, and production credit.
  

• 
  Provided P8.58 billion from January 2001 to March 2005 for the completion of: (a) physical infrastructure projects including 3,068 kms of farm-to-market roads with a total of 4,509 lineal meters of bridges which significantly improved market accessibility and reduced the cost of transporting agricultural productions; (b) irrigation projects with a total service area of 50,555 hectares which increased farm productivity; and, (c) 61 post-harvest facilities which enhanced processing of farm products.
  

• 
  Gave security of tenure to a total of 27,360 informal settlers through Presidential Proclamations declaring public lands as alienable and disposable for housing purposes, the nationwide Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the National Government Center Housing Project (NGCHP) and the North and South Rail Relocation Program of the National Housing Authority (NHA) from September 2004 to September 2005. This has increased the total of poor families given security of tenure to 345,609 since 2001.
  

• 
  Provided socialized housing services to 30,023 households belonging to the bottom 30% of the income population from September 2004 to September 2005 bringing the total to 252,258 since 2001.
  

• 
  Extended home lending programs of GSIS, SSS, LBP, DBP and HDMF end-buyers financing to 41,797 low-salaried government and private sector workers from September 2004 to September 2005.
  

• 
  Adopted mechanisms to ensure greater private sector participation in the housing sector and provide better access to housing for low-salaried government and private sector workers, such as:
  

• 
  Increased loan-to-collateral ratio which in effect removed equity for loans up to P500,000.
  

• 
  Lowered interest rates for housing loans which resulted in the reduction of monthly amortization by 15% to 25%, depending on the loan amount.
  

• 
  Reduced signatories from 188 to 40 and processing time from 90 days to 30-45 days for the issuance of housing-related permits and Environmental Compliance Certificates for priority projects such as socialized housing.
  

• 
  Reduced processing time for HDMF housing loan application from 30 to seven working days and for GSIS to five days.
  

• 
  Enrolled 2.4 million indigent families or 12 million Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program. The enrollment of additional 2.5 million families is currently being undertaken by PhilHealth.
  

• 
  Expanded access of the poor to half-priced essential medicines
  

• 
  Provided branded medicines under the parallel importation program, where consumers generated savings of as much as 82%, or an average of 57% compared to suggested retail prices, and generic medicines which are at least 50% of the 2001 price levels.
  

• 
  Established a total of 3,563 Botika ng Barangay (BnBs) especially in areas where there are no pharmacies to dispense low-priced generic over-the-counter drugs and eight selected prescription drugs (amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole).
  

• 
  Launched the Botika ng Bayan program as a vehicle for establishing a nationwide network of privately-operated retail drugstores distributing a full range of branded and generic, over-the-counter and prescription medicines at affordable prices. As of end-November 2005, 747 Botika ng Bayan outlets have been issued licensed to operate nationwide. Drugs from these outlets are lower by an average of 30% to 35% compared to prevailing retail market prices of the leading brands.
  

• 
  Kept the Philippines free from the Avian Influenza Virus through the concerted efforts of DA and other concerned government agencies to protect the entry of bird flu virus into the country
  

• 
  Created the National Avian Influenza Task Force (NAITF) as the implementing arm of the Avian Influenza Protection Program (AIPP) which is the protocol for disease prevention and eradication.
  

• 
  Conducted Bird Flu Watch, which is the national information, education and communications campaign on the avian flu.
  

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  Conducted nationwide training workshops dubbed Project Blue in provinces identified as priority areas for bird flu prevention. Provincial task forces will be organized in order that the programs and protocols of the AIPP will cascade to the municipalities and then to the barangays. Eight (8) fully trained government-private sector teams will be conducting the training and education campaigns.
  

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  Put in place regulatory services which include local government's imposition of checkpoints in the movement of chicken and other birds at 20 possible vulnerable sites in the country where migratory birds land.
  

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  Through the concerted efforts of concerned agencies, access to low priced, quality rice has been provided for Filipinos, especially poor families.
  

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  NFA procured a total of 51,565 MT of palay from January to October 2005, through which farm gate prices was stabilized to around P10.00/kg. It has also distributed 1,157,784 MT of rice from January to October 2005, through which market prices was stabilized to P20-24.00/kg.
  

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  Deployed 283 rolling stores, 125 of which were NFA-operated and 158 operated by private partners. About 220 of these rolling stores were deployed in NCR while the others were deployed in different regions. Total sales for the year amounted to P377,131,531. Of this amount, P373,867,864 was from rice sales, equivalent to 467,335 bags of rice. Sugar and groceries were also sold by the rolling stores.
  

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  Established 76 Tindahan ni Pangulong Gloria in 15 hotspot areas in Metro Manila identified by the President. Cumulative sales for the year amounted to P27,616,800, of which P27,566,400 was from sales of 37,554 bags of rice. There are also 26,112 accredited retailers nationwide, of which 11,379 are located inside the market while 14,733 are outside the market. These retailers have sold a total of 11,560,998 bags of rice this year.
  

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  In addition, a total of 2,595 Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke have been established nationwide which are dedicated to selling NFA rice. These have provided poor families with low-priced quality NFA rice at P16/kg for regular milled rice and P18/kg of well milled rice. A total of 5,361,687 bags of rice has been issued this year to Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke outlets.
  

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  The promotion of Pork-in-a-Box (PIB) project to hog producers and consumers was initiated to ensure stable supply and prices of pork.
  

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  Conducted consultative meetings with hog producers to ensure that there would be supply of PIB. At present, five suppliers of PIB are selling to supermarkets, restaurants, wet markets and meat processors in Metro Manila.
  

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  Sold PIB in government offices located in the Quezon City government center through their respective Employee’s Association or Cooperatives. As of September 2005, the supply is 2,000 to 3,000 kg per week.
  

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  Livelihood Corporation (LIVECOR) piloted PIB in Huwarang Palengke markets by buying 40 heads (2.8 tons) of pork carcass from the Chamber of Agriculture, Fishery and Food Industry in Northern Mindanao. Retail cuts were sold to the following: wet markets (15%), canteen/restaurant operators (30%), cooperatives and associations (55%).
  

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  DA is also exploring alternative distribution channels which include cooperative outlet stores under the Cooperative Union of the Philippines, PNP and AFP commissaries, wet markets through the National Market Vendors Confederation of Cooperatives, supermarkets through the Philippine Association of Supermarkets Incorporated and the Philippine Amalgamated Association of Supermarkets and barangay-based market outlets of the Livelihood Corporation.
  

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  Launched the Supplemental Feeding Program on 11 July 2005 in the CAMANAVA area which provided hot meals to 3 to 5-year old preschoolers in Day Care Centers for five days a week for 120 feeding days. The Program, with funding of P50 million, is to be implemented in 11 regions and NCR, in coordination with LGUs and partner agencies.
  

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  Conducted actual feeding for 23,846 children in NCR-CAMANAVA and 2,446 children in Region 11.
  

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  Conducted learning modules on effective parenting to parents in NCR and Region 11 to better understand themselves and their role as parents.
  

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  The Food for School program will be implemented through the provision of 1 kilo of rice per child per day in the day care centers. Guidelines for the program have been issued.
  

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  Launched the Enhanced Food for Work program to address the basic food and socio-economic needs of the poor, and enable them to become self-sufficient by accessing them to employment and livelihood opportunities for a sustained family income. It provides food assistance/subsidy to the poor while they are involved in home and/or community services; productivity and life skills development/enhancement; access to micro-finance for capital assistance for livelihood; and strengthening/reorientation of values system in community participation.
  

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  Program was launched in November 2004 in Camarines Sur, Eastern Samar, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Sulu benefiting a total of 50,000 families.
  

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  P2 million provided by DSWD for rehabilitation of Sultan Kudarat disaster victims, Camarines Sur and Eastern Samar with 60,000 tin cans of Maling for residents engaged in community services.
  

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  Under the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), 785 subprojects were completed and made operational out of the 1,499 subprojects, amounting to P1.7 billion. The remaining projects are expected to be completed by second quarter of 2006.